THE POISE PROJECT® is honored to announce that we are the recipient of a $10,000 grant from the Parkinson's Foundation. As part of the 2018 Moving Day® Community Grant program of the Washington DC area, this grant will support our program "PARTNERING WITH POISE" - ALEXANDER TECHNIQUE (AT) FOR CARE PARTNERS in the DC Metro Area.

"We are excited to introduce Alexander technique training directed toward the care partners of people living with Parkinson's," said Monika Gross, Executive Director of THE POISE PROJECT. “Care partners create a tremendous positive impact on outcomes for their loved ones. We want to support them by teaching them unique skills to help manage and problem-solve the specific physical and emotional challenges Parkinson's has brought into their lives. We are very grateful for this grant from the Parkinson's Foundation and the opportunity to expand our successful program from North Carolina to the PD community in the DC Metro Area."

Partnering with Poise is a ten-week program for care partners of people living with Parkinson's, offering a community of support for the day-to-day physical and emotional stresses of caregiving. It consists of a ten-week group class plus pre- and post-class evaluations, and includes opportunities for input and feedback from the local PD community. It was originally funded by a $25,000 Parkinson's Foundation NC Triangle Moving Day® community grant in 2017 to design and launch the program at eight sites in NC between July 2017-June 2018.

Alexander technique (AT) is a well-established approach for skillfully managing stressful circumstances. AT training has also been found to be effective in reducing physical symptoms such as chronic neck and back pain—common complaints for caregivers.

Classes will meet for 90 minutes per week and will be offered by certified AT specialists at two Metro DC sites TBA. Research data will be collected from participants to measure outcomes.

The Poise Project® is a nonprofit with the mission of maintaining natural poise throughout all stages and challenges of life through the principles of Alexander technique (AT). We design and deliver Alexander-based programs that give people living with Parkinson's greater confidence to manage their physical symptoms and increase their independence, confidence, and quality of life. While fostering a supportive community with one another, our programs for care partners help them gain skills to manage the physical and emotional demands of long term caregiving, as well as to cue their loved ones for using the AT principles in their daily life. To learn more about The Poise Project®, go to thepoiseproject.org

The Parkinson’s Foundation Moving Day®, A Walk for Parkinson’s, now in its sixth year, has funded a total of $14 million in mission services to make life better for people living with Parkinson’s. For the 2016 fall walks, local community grants, totaling $450,000, for health, wellness and education programs were funded in North Carolina Triangle area, among six other cities for people living with Parkinson’s disease (PD) and their care partners.

“Moving Day® walks across the country are building a national Parkinson’s community,” said John L. Lehr, chief executive officer of the Parkinson’s Foundation. “The Parkinson’s Foundation is proud to offer community grants to expand and develop new wellness programs for people living with Parkinson’s to live well today.”

Through monies raised by Moving Day®, a grassroots and fundraising awareness walk, the foundation invests in local Parkinson’s programs for health, wellness and education programs. Moving Day also supports national efforts by investing in the Center of Excellence network that delivers expert care to more than 100,000 Parkinson’s patients worldwide; by funding cutting-edge research like the Parkinson’s Outcomes Project, aimed at better treatment and care; by providing free patient resources for patients and their families, such as a toll-free Helpline (1-800-4PD-INFO) and the life-saving Aware in Care hospital kit.

About the Parkinson's Foundation The Parkinson's Foundation is working toward a world without Parkinson's disease. Formed by the merger of National Parkinson Foundation (NPF) and the Parkinson's Disease Foundation (PDF), the mission of the Parkinson's Foundation is to invest in promising scientific research that will end Parkinson's disease and improve the lives of people with Parkinson's, and their families, through improved treatments, support and the best care. For more information, visit www.parkinson.org or www.pdf.org, or call (800) 4PD-INFO (473-4636) or (800) 457-6676.

About Parkinson's Disease (PD) Affecting an estimated one million Americans and ten million worldwide, PD is the second most common neurodegenerative disease after Alzheimer's and is the 14th leading cause of death in the United States. It is associated with a progressive loss of motor control (e.g., shaking or tremor at rest and lack of facial expression) as well as non-motor symptoms (e.g., depression and anxiety). There is no cure for PD and 60,000 new cases are diagnosed each year in the United States alone.

THE POISE PROJECT® is honored to announce that we are the recipient of a $25,000 grant from the Parkinson's Foundation. As part of the 2017 Moving Day® Community Grant program of the North Carolina Triangle area, this grant will support our program PARTNERING WITH POISE: ALEXANDER TECHNIQUE (AT) FOR CARE PARTNERS at eight sites across North Carolina.

"We are excited to introduce Alexander technique training directed toward the care partners of people living with Parkinson's," said Monika Gross, Executive Director of THE POISE PROJECT. “Care partners create a tremendous positive impact on outcomes for their loved ones. We want to support them by teaching them unique skills to help manage and problem-solve the specific physical and emotional challenges Parkinson's has brought into their lives. We are very grateful for this grant from the Parkinson's Foundation and the opportunity to develop a completely new program to serve the North Carolina PD community."

Partnering with Poise is a ten-week program for care partners of people living with Parkinson's, offering a community of support for the day-to-day physical and emotional stresses of caregiving. It consists of a ten-week group class plus pre- and post-class evaluations, and includes opportunities for input and feedback from the local PD community.

Alexander technique (AT) is a well-established approach for skillfully managing stressful circumstances. AT training has also been found to be effective in reducing physical symptoms such as chronic neck and back pain—common complaints for caregivers.

Classes will meet for 90 minutes per week and will be offered by certified AT specialists in Asheville, Boone, Concord, Greensboro, Burlington, Winston-Salem, and two additional Asheville and Charlotte metro sites. Some funding for respite care for loved ones is available. Research data will be collected from participants to measure outcomes.

The Poise Project® is a nonprofit with the mission of maintaining natural poise throughout all stages and challenges of life through the principles of Alexander technique (AT). We design and deliver Alexander-based programs that give people living with Parkinson's greater confidence to manage their physical symptoms and increase their independence, confidence, and quality of life. While fostering a supportive community with one another, our programs for care partners help them gain skills to manage the physical and emotional demands of long term caregiving, as well as to cue their loved ones for using the AT principles in their daily life. To learn more about The Poise Project®, go to thepoiseproject.org

The Parkinson’s Foundation Moving Day®, A Walk for Parkinson’s, now in its sixth year, has funded a total of $14 million in mission services to make life better for people living with Parkinson’s. For the 2016 fall walks, local community grants, totaling $450,000, for health, wellness and education programs were funded in North Carolina Triangle area, among six other cities for people living with Parkinson’s disease (PD) and their care partners.

“Moving Day® walks across the country are building a national Parkinson’s community,” said John L. Lehr, chief executive officer of the Parkinson’s Foundation. “The Parkinson’s Foundation is proud to offer community grants to expand and develop new wellness programs for people living with Parkinson’s to live well today.”

Through monies raised by Moving Day®, a grassroots and fundraising awareness walk, the foundation invests in local Parkinson’s programs for health, wellness and education programs. Moving Day also supports national efforts by investing in the Center of Excellence network that delivers expert care to more than 100,000 Parkinson’s patients worldwide; by funding cutting-edge research like the Parkinson’s Outcomes Project, aimed at better treatment and care; by providing free patient resources for patients and their families, such as a toll-free Helpline (1-800-4PD-INFO) and the life-saving Aware in Care hospital kit.

About the Parkinson's Foundation The Parkinson's Foundation is working toward a world without Parkinson's disease. Formed by the merger of National Parkinson Foundation (NPF) and the Parkinson's Disease Foundation (PDF), the mission of the Parkinson's Foundation is to invest in promising scientific research that will end Parkinson's disease and improve the lives of people with Parkinson's, and their families, through improved treatments, support and the best care. For more information, visit www.parkinson.org or www.pdf.org, or call (800) 4PD-INFO (473-4636) or (800) 457-6676.

About Parkinson's Disease (PD) Affecting an estimated one million Americans and ten million worldwide, PD is the second most common neurodegenerative disease after Alzheimer's and is the 14th leading cause of death in the United States. It is associated with a progressive loss of motor control (e.g., shaking or tremor at rest and lack of facial expression) as well as non-motor symptoms (e.g., depression and anxiety). There is no cure for PD and 60,000 new cases are diagnosed each year in the United States alone.

Robert Rickover talks with Monika Gross, Executive Director of The Poise Project, about the mission of this new nonprofit, the accomplishments of its first year, and its first year's Initiative: "Alexander Technique for Parkinson's."

Monika Gross has a private teaching practice in Asheville and Charlotte North Carolina, and also offers AT training anywhere in the world via Skype or Zoom. She travels regionally to deliver teacher training programs and public workshops and presentations. You can contact her at: info@thepoiseproject.org

At the 4th World Parkinson Congress in Portland Oregon in September 2016, The Poise Project® hosted an exhibit booth and presentedresearch abstractson how Alexander can be a partner in the growing interest in a team approach for Parkinson's care.